7 NFT Projects to Watch Ahead of the "Runes" Launch
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7 NFT Projects to Watch Ahead of the "Runes" Launch
As Rune season sees a surge of projects, this article summarizes the most noteworthy new developments in Ordinals.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsWritten by: Cookie
Despite the recent market downturn, enthusiasm and anticipation around "Runes" remain strong. As a degen player focused on the NFT space, I’ve had two key realizations over the past week. First, Bitcoin NFTs are currently the only segment in the NFT market that unites global attention without PvP (player versus player) dynamics. The only other chain with notable activity is Base, whose community is primarily English-speaking and centered around art projects—making it significantly more challenging to engage with than Bitcoin. Second, "Rune"-based projects have become the dominant narrative in the Bitcoin NFT market. Although Bitcoin Wizards ("Wizards") and $WZRD token on BRC-20 surged nearly 5x and 15x respectively last week, the renewed market interest in the "Wizard" meme is strongly correlated with the rise of Bitcoin Puppets ("Puppet Monkeys"), which was recently reignited largely due to "Runes."
I previously provided readers with an overview of "Rune" projects. A month has passed since then, and not only has "Runes" solidified its position as the central theme in the Bitcoin NFT market, but the types of Rune projects gaining traction have also evolved. Pure "dry mining" projects—where the NFT itself serves merely as a "mining machine"—are no longer compelling enough. Projects that stand out now either have strong communities and recognition as PFPs, or offer infrastructure narratives for the Runes ecosystem (such as launchpads, DEXs, or blockchain explorers). Ultimately, once tokens are distributed, success will depend less on creative mining mechanics and more on genuine consensus and narrative strength.
Well-known Rune projects like Runestone, Rune Pups, and RSIC have already appreciated significantly. Below, I summarize some recent developments among new Ordinals projects worth watching.
Prometheans by CyberKongz
CyberKongz, the OG project that pioneered NFT staking and yield farming on Ethereum, has entered the Bitcoin NFT ecosystem. Once a top-tier blue-chip project, CyberKongz reached a floor price of nearly 200 ETH at its peak, and its token $BANANA hit a high of $105, achieving a peak market cap close to $90 million.
Prometheans is the official Rune project from CyberKongz. While the ultimate goal remains issuing a Rune token, this is the most artistically thoughtful Rune project I’ve seen so far. CyberKongz’s official Twitter thread thoroughly explains the artistic vision behind the collection—essentially treating a "mining rig" with the standards of a collectible artwork.
The project will launch this week with a free mint. Total supply is 21,000, with 85% allocated to selected Ordinals ecosystem partners chosen by CyberKongz and 15% distributed to existing CyberKongz holders.
Starlight Runes by Rosentica
Rosentica is an anime-themed NFT project created on Ethereum by artists @rmflawha12 and @TabinekoKIKI. Riding the Rune wave, Rosentica is preparing to launch its Rune project “Starlight Runes” on the Bitcoin NFT ecosystem.
This will be a free mint with a total supply of 2,000. Most will go to current Rosentica NFT holders, with the remainder allocated to selected Ordinals ecosystem partner communities.
Everyday Satoshis
It's clear this project will eventually issue a token called $CLTR, though it’s still uncertain whether $CLTR will be a Rune.
I first noticed this project back in late September last year. Now, six months later, with the halving and Runes approaching, the project has finally revealed itself.
Artist @Degen_Alfie has proven himself on Ethereum—for example, his artwork “Degen Alphabet” sold for 69.420 ETH on SuperRare in October 2022.
Everyday Satoshis is a pixel art series commemorating the halving event, with a total supply of 5,586 pieces. From Bitcoin’s genesis block to the upcoming fourth halving—15 years, 5,586 days—each pixel represents a day, displaying the date and Bitcoin’s daily high price against the US dollar over that period.
@Degen_Alfie revealed that shortly after the launch of Everyday Satoshis, he and his team will release version 1 of their blockchain art marketplace. The team currently consists of 12 members, and he raised a small angel round in January this year. This makes Everyday Satoshis not just a meaningful halving纪念 piece within Bitcoin NFT art, but also potentially the genesis collection of a new blockchain art marketplace.
BLIFStone
A reward from Opal Protocol for Runestone holders. If you hold Runestones, don’t forget to like and retweet the announcement tweet and provide your bc1p address holding Runestones.
To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what Opal Protocol aims to do—but one thing is clear: their operations will be driven by their token $BLIF, which will be a hybrid token spanning ETH, BRC-20, and Runes. From a degen perspective, Opal has strong backing: Animoca Brands and Darewise are founders of the project. Darewise is a subsidiary of Animoca, and they previously announced their game “Life Beyond” would migrate to the Bitcoin ecosystem, even launching a series called “Sparks,” serving as a high-end social access pass.
KarmaStone
OnChainMonkey (OCM) issued their own token $KARMA on the Tap protocol earlier this year and is now moving into the Runes space. Further details are yet to be disclosed.
The Rune Hunt
@RuneX_Tech built a web-based game using Unreal Engine, allowing players to “pre-mine” their Rune token through gameplay. I must say, when infrastructure projects compete for attention, the results are truly impressive.
The game launched yesterday and immediately crashed their servers. When it will reopen depends on the team’s announcement—worth keeping an eye on.
Moreover, among infrastructure-focused Rune projects competing for attention, I believe RuneX and Runes Terminal—which recently launched the Ape Odyssey series—are currently leading the pack.
Pixel Pix
A P2E game developed by GGXYZ Studio, the in-house game studio of @gamestarter, set to launch on Bitcoin. Currently, there are few details available.
Conclusion
There are now so many new Bitcoin NFT projects launching daily that many of my friends are minting at least three per day. The win rate for jumping into new projects is currently quite high, but avoid excessive FOMO—stay selective and cautious.
Regarding Rune projects, I expect to see more NFT projects from Ethereum and other chains entering the Bitcoin ecosystem, as Runes is now one of the hottest narratives across crypto. When evaluating Rune projects, focus on the project’s inherent influence and community quality—flashy mining gimmicks alone are no longer enough to break through the noise.
When multiple projects are launching in a short timeframe, consider splitting your UTXOs strategically. Bitcoin’s block confirmation times are long and unpredictable; network congestion can ruin your experience or even cause you to miss mints. For guidance, refer to this article: With Runes即将上线, What Should Users Prepare For?
Finally, wishing everyone great success during Rune season. I’ll continue to keep you updated on promising new projects.
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